Month: November 2021

Winter is the season all wood-burning stove owners look forward to. With night’s drawing in and temperatures dropping it’s time for the wonderful ritual of wood-burning. Lighting a fire on a cold evening provides the perfect antidote to the elements and can dramatically boost your wellbeing. To enjoy the season to the max it’s important for stove users, particularly new users, to be aware of the following tips so that you and your family can enjoy your stove over the holiday season safely.

1/ Sweep your chimney 1-2 times a year

It’s important to keep your flue clear of blockages and soot and we highly recommend you have your chimney swept at least once a year – preferably twice. A Charnwood stove is fitted with a drop-down throat plate allowing you to sweep through the appliance with minimal mess.

2/ Inspect door seals

Take the opportunity to regularly check the rope seals on the doors and around the flue to ensure your fire box is airtight and the doors close firmly. A well-sealed stove will burn much more efficiently and effectively and significantly reduce any build up in your chimney.

3/ Don’t stack wood against your wood-burning stove

As well as being a dangerous fire hazard it can bring in unwanted outdoor critters. It’s best to store outside, sheltered from the elements and with enough airflow to allow the wood to continue to dry until it is ready to use.

4/ Keep decorations a safe distance away from the fire

This is easily overlooked, particularly as the focus is on merriment and preparing the home for festivity. However, it’s imperative to make sure that Christmas stockings, tinsel, candles and trees etc are kept a safe distance away from a fire and your safe clearances are maintained.

5/ Only burn wood with less than 20% moisture

Look out for the Woodsure Ready to Burn label which guarantees a moisture content of 20% or less. For everything you need to know about firewood click here!

6/ Don’t put candles on top of log burners

Not only can it cause a huge mess and ruin a perfectly nice candle, but it will damage your stove and is a fire hazard as well.

7/ Test your carbon monoxide meter regularly

Many household appliances present a carbon monoxide risk. A properly installed stove shouldn’t cause any problems and in fact, should help with circulation and airflow. However, it is prudent to have a fully functioning carbon monoxide meter in the home whether you have a stove or not.

8/ Double check your fireplace’s safety clearances

For all the info needed read: Setting Clearances & Installing Heat Shields for your fireplace.

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There’s no doubt that a wood-burning stove makes winter not only bearable but also a joyous time to be shared with family and friends. We hope these tips help you enjoy a wonderfully warm holiday season that leaves you feeling refreshed in the new year.

After a long tough year, we are all starting to feel the urge to nestle down and hibernate so that we feel restored for the new year. The onset of winter, with temperatures plummeting and days drawing in, depriving us of much-needed light, can be ominous for many. However, believe it or not, there are some who not only tolerate the season well but actively look forward to it – wood-burning stove owners!

After all, a wood-burning stove provides the perfect antidote to the cold and darkness; and yet a wood-burning stove is much more than just a heating device. The recent Charnwood Wellbeing Survey provides some fascinating insight into life with a stove. Relating to Christmas and the holiday period, participants detailed the huge impact a stove made on their experience. Providing a unique warmth and light that lifts spirits and restores the body, while being the perfect focal point to gather around for present sharing and game playing. Helping families form those core memories that last and sustain a lifetime and building traditions that encourage a coming together and a sense of reconnection year after year.

For additional information on how to use a wood-burning stove, check out our additional blog here.

Making special occasions even more special

Below are some survey responses from Charnwood owners.

“Christmas Day spent with all the family and grandchildren gathered around our stove brings happy memories all year round.”

“Christmas especially. The stove just provides a much-needed atmosphere on a cold winter’s night. You feel relaxed, cosy and there is something about it that just welcomes you into the living room. I couldn’t live without it.”

“It’s a ritual on Christmas morning to rekindle the stove, and to unwrap the presents without a fire is unthinkable. There’s something magical about children in their pyjamas sitting on the rug in the cosy space in front of a blazing stove.”

“My young nephew visited at Christmas & we built the fire together. It was the first time he had ever lit a real fire. We celebrated with toasting marshmallows! It wasn’t just building a fire – it was building a memory.”

Peace of mind

The inclement weather can naturally make us feel a little more vulnerable and with recent gas price rises and supply issues, those worries are perhaps a little more valid than usual. Stove owners report, however, that they benefit from the peace of mind gained from having a backup power source.

“We love our log burner. It makes us feel warm, safe and secure. It helps heat the whole house, which has proved an asset in power cuts. Nothing beats sitting in the living room with the warmth of the fire in the depths of winter.”

“Lighting the stove after a walk by the sea during winter is a joyful experience. Has helped to alleviate the worry of power failures as we live in an area prone to electricity outages during bad weather. Just knowing that we have our lovely stove for independent heat and low light is fab.”

“Having a wood burner means I am less vulnerable in power cuts. I can still have heating, boil a kettle, cook food if I need to.”

If you’d like a stove as a backup or main source of heat but thought you couldn’t have one without a traditional fireplace – Vlaze and Charnwood offer the solution!

For further information on how our wood-burning stoves help families tackle energy bill costs, view our blog here.

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A wood-burning stove is much more than just a heating device. Preparing a stove and experiencing its unique heat with the family has a hugely positive impact on wellbeing and helps ensure the most Christmassy of Christmases. If you’ve been dreading the months ahead, a wood-burning stove could change your perspective on winter…

Speak to our team or a local supplier to discuss your requirements.

Pro Christmas Tip: When you pack the decorations away this year, add a bottle of something festive and enough money for a takeaway so that you have a treat for when the task comes around again.

With the clocks going back and Halloween pumpkins now looking the worse for wear, it can mean only one thing – next up Guy Fawkes night and fireworks! If you’re headed out to your local Bonfire Night, you’ll be keen to get a good view of the action. When it comes to a wood burner at home, although on a more intimate scale, a good view of the action is equally desirable. With this in mind, we’ll compare 6 Charnwood Stoves with large viewing windows that maximise flame pictures, giving everyone the best seat in the house.

The Cranmore

This is our latest stove collection which takes inspiration from the Regency era with a single framed glass door and archetypal detailing. The pleasing proportions of the Cranmore make it well suited to a traditional fireplace and with a large picture window, it is an ideal replacement for an open fire. The stove can also work equally well in a freestanding situation.

Available in 2 sizes the Cranmore uses Charnwood clean burn Blu technology and is exceptionally efficient with a clearSkies level 5 rating.

The Charnwood Cranmore 5

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 377 x 346mm
Output: 2-5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84% (over 75% is required for Ecodesign status)
Particles (mg/m3): 27 (below 40 is required for Ecodesign status)
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Charnwood Cranmore 7

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 438 x 348mm
Output: 7kW
Energy Efficiency: 82%
Particles (mg/m3): 22
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Charnwood Aire

 

A range of simply styled wood burning stoves delivering one of the most impressive flame pictures. Designed with a very large view of the fire we have also incorporated new and improved burn technology that not only meets but goes beyond the new 2022 Ecodesign standards and Defra exemption requirements.
The Aire is available in 3 sizes with low or store stand models to choose from in a choice of eight colours.

The Aire 5

Output: 2-5kW
Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 377 x 346mm
Output: 2-5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84%
Particles (mg/m3): 27
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Aire 7

Output: 7kW
Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 438 x 348mm
Energy Efficiency: 82%
Particles (mg/m3): 22
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Aire 3
 

An exciting addition to our Charnwood Aire collection. With a 3.6kW output delivering an impressive efficiency of 84% the Aire 3 has been designed for smaller spaces. Not just for conventional houses – but cabins, houseboats, yurts and other types of tiny homes. We also offer a standalone hearth and chamber enclosure for this model; the Charnwood Stove Pod.

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 280 x 275mm
Output: 3.6kW
Energy Efficiency: 86%
Particles (mg/m3): 25
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Country 4

A traditional, time-honoured stove, that is a sturdy, yet graceful little fire. With a rated output of 5kW, the Country 4 can be installed, in certain situations, without the need for external air. The single door gives a complete, crystal clear view of the fire – it has one of the largest view windows for a stove of its size. It takes a decent sized log length of 332mm (13”) making it a very popular choice in the small stove market. The stove is available in a choice of eight Charnwood colours and is finished with touches of solid brass and a turned wooden door handle. The Country 4 Blu is Defra exempt; allowing wood to be burnt in smoke control areas.

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 280 x 275mm
Output: 5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84%
Particles (mg/m3): 20
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The festivities come thick and fast at this time of year and all occasions are enhanced by the wonderfully warming and captivating flames provided by a wood-burning stove. All the stove options presented offer a sizable viewing window while all meet and exceed the efficiency ratings required for Ecodesign classification. You can’t go far wrong with any of these stoves, and it comes down to your style and room size to guide your decision on which is best suited to your space.

Speak to our team or a local supplier to discuss your requirements.